Month: February 2021

Microsoft Ads for Surface Pro 7

Speaking of scams, Microsoft seems to be using an oldie but a goodie, bait, and switch. I followed a sales link to look at the Surface Pro 7 (I had a chance to see one in action a few days ago and learned some things). Advertised at $550 you can get what amounts to a boat anchor worthy device; if you want a usable surface pro you will spend $900 + $150 in insurance (not just extended warranty).

What is the difference? At $550 you get an i3 based tablet (too slow even for word processing or video streaming) add a keyboard at $100 (discounted to $70, less with a coupon) and you are at $620ish. But, the i3 version I used was virtually unusable, so upgrade to the i5 version and choose the version with 256gb ssd (because windows eats up 96gb of the 128gb version) and you find yourself with the $850 version of the surface, add a keyboard and you hit $900 but get free shipping.

Why do I all but insist on the $150 insurance policy? Because the included warranty provides no protection if you drop the unit, spill on it, spit on it, or if the screen fails, and the screens have been routinely failing between the 6 month and 18 month period of ownership. Replace a screen without insurance at $250 + $150 minimum labor and $70 shipping (buy a new unit if you started out with the i3 version). damage a USB port and expect a $375 + $150 minimum labor + $70 shipping repair. Oh, and don’t forget that leaves you without the unit for a minumum of 10 days and the unit you get back will be blank (factory reset).

Other than the above, it looks and feels like a nice, very flexible tool for a variety of uses (windows-based). I have noted that almost all second-time owners sprang for expensive cases to protect these quite fragile devices (well, no more fragile than the ipads they say they are competing with in the recent advertisements).

Historically, I have recommended Surface machines for field devices, backup devices, and for office devices that needed to fill a wide variety of specialized needs. Mostly, these products have been successful in those roles when the appropriate model with appropriate accessories are selected. Because they are low power, battery operated devices and quite small there have been some issues getting them to work reliably with some peripherals (the USB ports do not provide the standard current that a desktop or full laptop does) and there is usually one one port available to attach peripherals to the unit. Using one to drive a projector or large screen requires some careful configuration and often an experienced pc+video technician, suffice to say it is not a non trivial enterprise to setup.

Simple Guidance

Scams on the internet are so frustrating! What can you do? My first recommendation is a simple one. If you get a message, popup, or any other form of indication that you need some piece of software or update AND it is from a manufacturer you know or is very common in the industry, DO NOT click the link! Instead, use your browser and go to the manufacturer’s site and get the update or feature or software directly from the manufacturer’s website.

If there is any doubt in your mind whether you need the update or the software recommended ask someone in the profession (a consultant, geek squad, etc.) for guidance. It may be an indication you are being phished or have malware trying to get established on your computer.

As an additional thought on scams. When I suggest that people go to the manufacturer’s website I am not suggesting that you search for it, I mean type in the address directly in the browser’s address bar. If you don’t know the appropriate website, this is when you should be calling a professional for guidance. Really, most of us would much rather assist you before there is a huge mess to clean up.

Honest, that image is not from your antivirus package, that is a bug in its glory trying to get you to help it get installed.

More Scams

I am preparing to give a seminar on computer basics and it occurred to me that most people never think twice about what they plug their electronics into. It’s a wall outlet and it provides power; but, is it the right power? Just as I was working that out, I get a call and it is someone who has been caught by a browser internet scam.


So, first off, computers come with one of three kinds of plugs. I refer to the 3-prong, the 2-prong polarized, and the 2-prong unpolarized. The 3-prong is a grounded plug and the ground pin provides protection for the user of the device as well as guaranteeing the polarity of power provided is correct (assuming the outlet is correctly wired). The 2-prong polarized is used for equipment that requires correctly polarized power (hot vs common) while the unpolarized plug is usually reserved for devices that work just as well with or without correctly polarized power.


Over the years I have repaired quite a few power supplies that had been operated over time with reversed polarity power. In the early days that meant replacing the diodes and a few capacitors. In the later years, it was simply easier to replace the power supply and not worry about which components failed. That is the way with our society now, a failed component outside warranty doesn’t really concern us, we simply replace and get on with our lives.


Earlier I mentioned a scam. There are so many now and some are quite hard to detect; but, let me offer a few tips to help you recognize a scam. None of the computer manufacturers and none of the operating system providers watch your system to spot viruses, so, if your computer pops up any kind of message (other than one from the anti-virus package you have installed) that is an attempt to infect you and it (the code behind that message) is trying to get you to do things to allow the infection. And, none of the current products will suggest you call in to a “special” number to remove the bug. Microsoft will NOT call you and alert you to an infection. Lenovo will not call you and IBM business services will not call you alerting you to some issue with your computer. All of the manufacturers have automated their update services and switched to passive support of clients.


What do you do? If you suspect a scam or viral activity (or malware of any kind), try updating your anti-virus and then run a full scan. Then, if you are still suspicious, try running a second opinion malware scanner (Microsoft has one on their website as does Sophos and Malwarebytes). Lately, I have had the best luck with the Malwarebytes free version; but, all three are excellent. If the scam has disabled your ability to navigate or get to your anti-virus, turn your computer off and try restarting, this will disable 50% of the browser-born phishing attempts. In all cases, don’t operate on the internet without an up-to-date anti-virus or net-based protection of similar function.

Word Processing?

ZDnet recently published a story on “Laptops we love” and I was struck by a number of things. They asked a number of their journalists what was their favorite machine to write on and their responses surprised me. The majority spoke up for a relatively mid-range model of laptop ($1600ish) but then confessed that they used something else; several admitted using a tablet with an addon keyboard to type in their columns for publication.


Additionally, the choice of operating system seemed rather random, some chose Windows, some IOS, and a few went with ChromeOS and one even chose Linux. I had expected professionals to choose devices with full-sized keyboards, relatively large screens (15″ or larger) and either Windows or MacOS.


Having had my eyes opened up a bit, I realized that word processing isn’t demanding of even the least powerful of modern devices. All of the current products on the market are capable of being good word processors and it is up to the user to decide the balance between portability, ease of typing, ease of viewing and a variety of other criteria.


Earlier I kind of dismissed Linux as an obvious choice for the OS of a word processor; but, with Libre and Apache office (Open Office) being native coded and compiled for various Linux versions, the user has the same quality of tools available for many kinds of word processing tasks as the user of Windows or MacOS. I have been using a Raspberry Pi400 (linux based computer) to do some graphics work, spreadsheets and yes, word processing.


So why, when asked, did the majority of those journalists suggest a mid-range of laptop? I think they and I are all caught up in the numbers game and we have forgotten the real criteria; does the machine do all the things we use, and in doing so is it fast enough that we don’t have to wait for it? Then again, it wasn’t long ago that even expensive laptops were slow enough to force us to wait on occasion; and, you can still buy those laptops. (a quick reminder, solid state storage makes a huge difference as does a good processor like the i5, the i7, Ryzen3,5, or 7 and so forth. The days of the Celeron and the i3 should be over, long over)

Disposable Society RANT!

Rant on! Apple and Samsung have both re-tuned their warranties and extended warranty plans for their new phones. Depending on how you acquire them, these phones can run from $700 to $1200 to “included in your contract”. However, replacing a lost phone can give you a pretty good idea of the actual cost of the phone ($799 for a Samsung A21). It is clear that both companies have their eye on maximizing profit from these products as they have made it more cost-effective to forgo the extended warranty & replacement plans in favor of simply replacing the product with a newer model.


This is just the tip of the iceberg as they have increased the cost of repairing a damaged phone to the point where replacement is often more attractive than repair. For Apple, the $15 batteries can be replaced for $70 + $7 shipping, and expect it to take 3-5 days to get to Apple and a similar 3-5 days to come back. For Samsung, I haven’t found any real numbers yet for the battery or cost to have it replaced; but, I expect more than $50 for the battery and another $40 or more labor. Why are these procedures so expensive? The batteries are glued in and removal is non-trivial as is the proper installation of the new battery. Fortunately, Samsung has arranged for a lot more sites to be authorized for the replacement and other minor repairs so you may not have to wait a week to get your phone back, depending on where you live.


Still, the cost of common repairs ($249 for an iPhone12 screen + labor) on these new families of products are a significant percentage of the cost to replace the device. And, if you read the list of exclusions in the warranties and extended warranty plans, you can easily pay 30% or 40% of the cost to replace to extend a warranty that may not cover most of the anticipated issues. Given that we see new improved models every 6 months to a year and the rate at which the new rapid charge batteries decay, how badly do you want to pay that much to get your phone repaired?


Okay so Rant off (on our ever increasingly disposable world)!


Even with the foregoing, there are situations when the extended warranty and replacement plans can be cost-effective. If the device will be used in dangerous (for it) environments or by someone who will not take care of it, replacement plans can be attractive. For the rest of us, a screen protector and case are probably a better investment with an eye to replacing the device after 2 years of use. Along these same lines, you can choose devices that are water proof and made to survive considerable rough treatment. There are still some firms that will water proof many of the standard models if that is a risk for your device.


I am careful to choose phone models that have user-replaceable batteries and user-upgradeable memory because I have a history of keeping my phones for 4 years or longer.